Kevin Bronson on October 23rd, 2014

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If ever there were a show worthy of exclamation points, it was Wildcat! Wildcat!’s homecoming gig Tuesday night at the El Rey Theatre. The band had done a slew of touring since the August release of their debut full-length “No Moon At All,” and with longer road trips on the horizon, the trio of Jesse Taylor, Michael Wilson and Jesse Carmichael were clearly buoyed to be playing their first major L.A. show since Feburary. Following a charimastic, loop-filled set from White Hinterland (the solo guise of Casey Dienel), Wildcat! Wildcat! played an hour-plus of psychedelic electro-pop, including the early songs that put them on the map, “Mr. Quiche” and “The Chief,” along their current single “Hero” and covers of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” They finished with “Marfas” and its big chorus, “You don’t have to be alone,” with the crowd’s bodies swaying and arms waving.

Photos by Michelle Shiers